The Final Battle
by HarryPotter'sgirl17
Summary: Picking up after Harry's sixth year, we see a new face enter The Order and the final challenge comes to call. Harry must find the final pieces to stopping Voldemort,one which might be right with him all along...
1. A New Friend

**ATHUOR'S NOTE** All of the things concerning Harry Potter and Co. are the brilliant products of J.K Rowling's mind. The only things in this fic that are mine are the storyline and some of the characters. **THANK YOU AND PLEASE REVIEW!**

Harry Potter and the Final Battle

Chapter One: A New Friend

Running down the deserted street, the witch could hear her pursuitors gaining on her. Pointing her wand over her shoulder she yelled, "_Stupefy_" and listened with satisfaction to the distant thud that told her the spell had struck home.

Ducking down an alleyway, the witch flattened herself against a wall, taking deep, much needed gulps of air. Straining her ears, she heard her would-be captors running past. Sighing with relief, the witch slid to the ground, suddenly tired, not to mention, VERY hungry.

_I've been dodging those gits for about six days, _she thought,_ I need to find somewhere safe, somewhere they won't find me._

While she was thinking this, the wall she had been resting against began to suddenly move. Springing to her feet, the witch watched in astonishment as a whole new house squeezed between the house she was standing by and the one next to it. Her mouth was still open when a skinny, dark haired boy stuck his head out of the new house's door and hissed, "Get in here! And quick, before those gits get back!"

Unable to utter a thank you, the witch quickly hurried into the house after the dark haired boy, who was so urgent for her to get inside, he practically pulled her the last couple of feet. Stumbling a little, she turned to the boy and found herself looking into a pair of bright green eyes.

"Who are you?" The boy had wasted no time and immediately started drilling her for information. Almost at the same time a pair of red headed twins popped into the hallway.

"Oi! Harry! I didn't know you were letting in visitors," said one, standing on one side of the boy named Harry.

"Makes you feel less important, don't it?" asked the other, standing to Harry's other side.

"Unless he's getting information."

"Then we are FAR more important."

"And for getting even with nasty Slytherins."

"Especially if it makes them turn blue and sprout roses."

"You know, we haven't tried that-"

Giggling at the pair, the witch said, "I'm Heather Daye. I've been dodging Voldemort's cronies for six days, so forgive me for not looking my best."

As usual, when Voldemort's name was uttered, the twins shivered; the dark haired boy did not. Heather had a pretty good idea who he was.

"You're THE Harry, then?" she asked, looking straight into his green eyes, as if she could see the truth there, "Harry Potter?"

"Blimey! Where are our manners?" one of the twins stated. Sticking out his hand, he smiled, "Fred Weasley. Not as famous as Harry, but then again, who is?"

After participating in a three handed handshake, where the other twin introduced himself as George, Heather asked her previous question, "You ARE Harry Potter, right?"

"Yes," he answered, tensed as if waiting a blow that never came. When he saw she wasn't going to curse him to oblivion, Harry asked, "Why were Death Eaters chasing you? And how are you able to say his name? Most people can't even utter it."

"Because of THIS!" Reaching inside her robes, Heather pulled out a tiny, golden cup and handed into to Harry's waiting hands. "I'm a lot braver than _most people_."

"A cup?" asked Fred and George as one, like twins sometimes do, "They were chasing you for a CUP? Did you steal it from You-Know-Who's mummy?"

Heather smiled again; she really liked this happy-go-lucky pair. Harry remained tight lipped, however, muttering, "It can't be...It just CAN'T be..."

"Can't be what, mate?" asked Fred, looking at Harry's face in alarm, "You look like you just the Bloody Baron in that cup!"

Turning the cup over, Harry showed everyone, imprinted on one side, was a very detailed badger.

"Yes, Harry," Heather stated sollemly, catching his green eyes again, "Yes."

Short chapter, I know! I hope you all will be kind and review, whether it is praise or flames! This is my first fan fic and it takes place after Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. For those of you who have not read _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_ BEWARE! My fic will have some MAJOR spoilers if you read it before you read _Half Blood_.

P.S. I don't believe Sirius Black is dead!


	2. A New Quest

**Author's Note: **Hey! It's me again! Sorry about the space between updates, it's just that I have started high school and I finally can write without my brother nagging me for the computer! ;-) Anyway, thanks to _UnspokenTruths08_ and_ horsiegal257_ for reviewing. I fixed the error, thanks for pointing it out. I put that there because I think, when I read _Order of the Phoenix,_ which Lily has hazel eyes and everyone is always telling Harry he's got his mother's eyes. But then again I might be wrong and I thank you again for pointing that out. Here's your update!

Once again, not mine, J.K Rowling's wonderful creation.

Chapter 2: A New Quest

Suddenly Harry began firing question after question at Heather, not even giving her time to respond.

"Where did you get this? _How_ did you get this? How the bloody hell did you get it away from Voldemort?"

Catching a hold of Heather before she crumbled to the floor, Fred said cheerfully, "How about food, then some questions?"

Looking extremely grateful, Heather nodded and allowed herself to be lead to the kitchen.

On the way there, Fred whispered, "Sorry about Harry. He gets a little dramatic with stuff about You-Know-Who."

"That's okay. I can understand why," Heather responded breathlessly, trying to pass off the breathlessness because she had not eaten for a week and not that Fred still had his arm around her from when he caught her.

The kitchen was warm with the promise of food and it made Heather so weak in the knees that Fred nearly had to carry her to the table.

"Eggs and bacon ok?" Fred asked, pointing to the end of the table, "Those are the only thing I can cook without burning."

Laughing, Heather headed to spot indicated, answering, "Not to insult, but I could eat a horse right about now!"

Once there and seated, she began to slowly answer each of Harry's questions, all the while eating each of the dishes set in front of her. Harry saw that she had the female quality of being able to talk and eat at the same time.

"My family and I were vacationing in London. When we arrived we heard there had been a fire. We had been really sorry when we heard it was a children's home."

At this, Harry sat up a little, and leaned in, "Was it an old fashioned one? A home that had been used for a while?"

Heather nodded, swallowing the bite she had taken, "Yes, it was an old one and the strangest thing was that people had said that the fire had started on the first floor, yet it was the bottom floor that took the most damage. I always thought people should take better care of old houses The top floor was barely touched and looked like there had been a Shield Charm surrounding it."

"How can you tell?" Harry asked, remembering Dumbledore's referral to the fact that magic leaves "a trace".

"Well," Heather swallowed again-Harry marveled once more at the undeniable trait of girls able to talk while they ate-"If you train your eyes long enough, you can see distinct colors that indicate a spell. If you _really_ train your eyes, and I mean _all the time_, you can tell which spell has been cast. This one looked like a faint yellow shimmer."

"How?" Harry demanded, slamming the cup on the table, "How are you able to tell if the spell you touch won't kill you? Tell me how!"

Everyone was silent after Harry's outburst, even Heather stopped chewing. Swallowing hard, she stared at Harry for a few minutes, seeming too struggled with some inner conflict. When she finally spoke, her voice was just above a whisper, making everyone lean in, not wanting to miss a single word.

"I could teach you, Harry; yet, I must warn you that you do this at your own risk. You will be always on your guard, for I will have to teach you how to protect yourself from an unknown spell in a seconds notice. Can you do that? Can you take that risk?"

Looking into Heather's cobalt eyes, Harry was vividly reminded of Dumbledore's question of Harry following any order he gave, including the one that nearly killed him, the one that enabled him to be killed.

Harry had been fighting with himself the whole time he had been in Grimwauld and had finally come to the conclusion that he needed to stop blaming himself for Dumbledore's death and that his duty was to help rid the world of Voldemort once and for all. He brought nothing but pain and sorrow to Harry's life and Harry was going to learn, and do, all he could to make sure that never happened to anyone else.

Seeing Harry's eyes narrow in conclusion, Heather asked again, "So Harry, will you let me teach you the art of Detection?"

Holding Heather's gaze steadily, Harry whispered, as if any louder sound would break the hidden connection, "Yes."

"Then rest well tonight," she answered, in the same soft voice as Harry, "For you are going to need your strength tomorrow. Detection isn't something you learn overnight."

Harry nodded and, leading them all upstairs, showed them where they were to bunk that night.

As she settled into bed, Heather thought over all the events that lead up this meeting with The-Boy-Who-Lived and once again slipped into that nightmare which seemed to be haunting her and reluctant to release it's grip.

_Hi! Me again! The next chapter will be a flashback and told from Heather's point of view. I'm trying to get this done as soon as possible and am VERY sorry for the gaps between updates. I will try to get this on the site as soon as it gets out of my head! Thank you for your patience!_

_PLEASE REVIEW!_


	3. My Tormented Heart

**Authors Note: **As much as I like to say it, Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. He is J.K Rowling's great creation. This is, however, my story and some of the characters do belong to me.

Chapter 4: My Tormented Heart

_I was running away from them, all of them; Ma, my brothers Daniel and Craig, my sisters Krysta, Michelle, and Gabrielle. I was so mad at all of them for the whole miserable day; how mean they all had been. I was half way aware of Ma calling my name, but I didn't care, let her worry about me. I ran deeper and deeper into London's busy streets, cursing the fate that made me born to such a family. I had had enough of families and everything that went with them. My eyes were so blurry; I didn't notice anything was happening until a little girl screamed._

_Everything was death and explosions. People were running and screaming; not caring who they ran over in their attempt to save themselves. I ran like the rest of them, but I had the regard for others that I helped them on my way. I heard screams, curses, all was pandemonium. **Voldemort** was here, and with him, a band of his heartless Death Eaters. I could hear the crying of children as parents were killed before their eyes. I ran faster and faster, praying that my own family was alright. Then something hit my back and all went dark._

_When I woke, it was night and I was freezing. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was darkness, not blindness, which obscured my vision. I was aware of something sticky and thick covering my face. Trying to sit up, I also realized that something heavy was lying on my legs. Pulling my wand out, I whispered, "Lumos," and took a look at what was pinning my legs down._

_As soon as the beam of light hit the "something's" head, I immediately started to scream._

_It was Daniel, my loving, protective brother had died trying to save me; had died helping me. His eyes were wide and fearful, his mouth open in a silent scream. I became frantic; I began to push him off of me, screaming all the while._

_ I stood up, holding my wand high, I began screaming out names, names I needed to be answered, "Ma! Craig! Krista! Michelle! Gabrielle! MA! CRAIG! KRISTA! MICHELLE! GABRIELLE! MAAAAAA!"_

_I was sobbing then, sobbing as if the whole world had ended. My world had, for I couldn't find any of them, not a single shred of evidence that they were even there. There were too many bodies…too many bodies…_

_I cannot see anymore, I have to run. I do not look back... I **cannot** look back... I run...just run..._

I wasn't even aware that I had been sleeping, or that I had woken anyone up until one of the red headed twins was shaking me, and murmuring, "Come on and get up before Harry kicks you out of the house."

I was so grateful that I was out of that _nightmare_ that I acutely hugged that red haired man! I think I might've surprised him, but after a few seconds, he returned the hug.

"Nightmare?" He asked, breathing the question into my hair-I still hadn't let him go-and in response, I just shivered.

"Hmmm," He replied, stroking my back, "Must've been a bad one, if you were screaming and crying at the same time."

I couldn't help it, I started crying again; they didn't even _know _me and they were all being so nice. It just made me feel so overwhelmed.

The twin didn't seem to mind, he just rubbed my back and made comforting remarks. After a while, all the tears that I had bottled up had been washed out on the twin's soft sweater with a golden _F_ stitched on the front. _This must be Fred then._

"Feel any better?" Fred asked, wiping a tear away from my eye, "Do you think you can sleep?"

"I just feel drained," I replied, not wanting to lose that strong arm right now, "Can you stay for just a little longer?"

Scooting further down on the bed, Fred answered, "Yes, but just until you fall asleep."

I wasn't about to argue. Lying down in the circle of Fred's arm, I suddenly asked, "Why do you care so much?"

Fred took a while to answer, when he did, it sounded as if even he wasn't sure of the answer, "Well, you seem like an ok girl and I know _I _hate it when I have nightmares. And..."

"And?" I whispered, almost afraid of the answer. I hadn't even noticed I was holding my breath until he leaned in close and I felt my chest tighten up.

"And," Fred breathed, leaning in even closer, "I wanted to get to know you better."

"Why?" I gasped, my heart pounding so loudly, I was almost sure he could hear it. Breathing was also becoming a trial.

He laughed, a small, kind laugh, "Isn't obvious?" and he closed the distance between us.

I panicked for a couple of seconds, scared that I wouldn't know what to do. But then Fred pulled me close, putting his hand on the small of my back; I just let myself be cared away, lost in the warmth of the kiss.

Suddenly, he pulled away, breathing hard. I was immediately worried that I had done something wrong.

"Fred?" I asked, reaching out to touch him, but he just stepped away. I became almost frantic, "Fr-"

But he cut me off, "I gotta go." and darted out the door, leaving me even more confused than when he came in.

**Author's Note**: Please forgive me for stopping them but Heather is emotionally vexed right now and Fred thought that kissing her after she relived something traumatic was ungentlemanly. The next chapter will be his POV and will explain better. THANKS to all who review. I will add a little notes section next time!


	4. Conflicted Heart

**Disclaimer: **Nothing that relates to Harry Potter is mine except this story and some of the characters. Everything else is J.K Rowling's.

_This chapter is in Fred's Point Of View and will end in George's. I will add a little note to show when the change is made. The whole chapter will switch between the two._

**Chapter 4: Conflicted Heart**

As I walked back to the room I was sharing with George, I mentally kicked myself. I had gone into Heather's room to see if she was alright and ended up _kissing her_! I had to be the biggest jerk known to mankind! I heard how she had felt when she was telling Harry about how her trip to London went and even though she didn't say anything I knew she was upset

As soon as I went into the room George knew something was up. Maybe it was the "twin brain wave" people always say we have. Or maybe it was the fact that I was beating my head with my pillow as soon as I reached my bed.

"What's up?" He asked, not looking up from the new Wheasley Whizarding Wheezes gadget we were working on.

"I must be the biggest jerk know to mankind! I was trying to help the girl and ended up kissing her! _Kissing her, George_!"

"Sounds like you were helping just fine, bro." George replied while ducking the pillow I threw at him. He didn't need to ask who "she" was. There was only one girl in this house.

"Come on, be serious! We don't even know who she is!" That wasn't what was bothering me. What was bothering me was that she was obviously upset and I had to go and start making out with her. She must think I am the biggest pervert in the world!

_(George POV)_

Fred looked like someone socked him in the face (Not that you could ever tell).

"Okay," I said, putting down the project I was working on and turned to face him, "What is the problem?"

He sighed, _acutely sighed_, and started telling me that after we heard the yelling that he had gone to check weather or not Harry had another nightmare. Instead, he heard the Heather chick yelling about "too much blood"-which would've freaked _me_ out to no end-and went in there to calm her down before she woke up Harry and got kicked out on her rump.

"And?" I questioned, wondering what could've happened that made Fred so miserable, "What happened then?"

"I kissed her! Haven't you been listening?" Fred fumed, going as red as his hair.

"So you just walked in there and kissed her? That's a first, even for _you_!" I laughed, making him turn, if possible, redder.

"No," He muttered, "We were talking first. Then I kissed her. Aren't you supposed to be helping?"

"Yeah, but it be a whole lot easier to see where the problem is at if you told me _what_ you were talking about!" I was slightly miffed. Fred usually told me everything. It was strange that he keep something from me.

Fred sighed, obviously upset about something, but with all his cryptic answers I couldn't tell _what_. Finally, he spoke, and I could tell he was going to be awhile.

"I never meant to kiss her…I mean it just came over me and _boom_! We were talking about the dream she had. It sounded kind of bad while she was asleep and she seemed not really willing to talk to about it, so we started talking about other stuff. Piddling stuff. Then she asked me why we cared so much. Then it came over me. It was this overwhelming urge to protect her…Like, if she was in danger, I throw myself in the line of fire just so she wouldn't get hurt. I felt so much emotion that I just kissed her, man. _We don't know **anything **about her_ and I kiss her. I probably scared her half to death and made her even _more_ scared to go to sleep."

When he finished I just sat there. That was the closest Fred had ever come to an outburst. All I could say was, "Whoa," making Fred look, if at all possible, even worse.

"What do I do?" He whimpered, and I hadn't I the vaguest clue. He had obviously run out after that. I wasn't even sure if this Heather girl would even talk to him now.

_(Fred POV)_

I don't know why I spilled my guts out like that. Maybe it was because I knew George wouldn't make fun of me like other people I know. Ron would've laughed his arse off. Percy was too much of a git, so I probably wouldn't have told him about it anyway. We don't see much of Charlie, still in Romania studying dragons. Bill has got too much on his hands with the wedding tomorrow. THE WEDDING!

"Oh shit, George!" He looked at me like I had lost my mind, which I probably have, "The wedding! It's tomorrow!"

"Damn," He swore, realization spreading across his features, "What do we do?"

I was thinking about suicide myself, but of course I didn't say that out loud. I was about to answer when there was a knock on our bedroom door. Wondering who would be up at this time of night I got up and opened it.

The very last person I wanted to see was standing on the other side of it. Looking scared to death and heavenly beautiful, Heather smiled and asked, "Can I come in?"

I didn't even know why she was there, I half expected her to just teach Harry this Detection thing and totally ignore us…Well, ignore _me_ at least. Yet here she was, standing in the same clothes as she had worn a few hours ago. I wasn't even sure if she had any other clothes. I thought of the wedding and felt an insane dread.

I must have been standing there for at least three minutes before George cleared his throat loudly, breaking me out of my reverie, "Y-Yeah. Come on in."

She smiled and waited until I stepped aside to enter the room. My brain instantly flashed an image of a _very_ different visitation from Heather, but I quickly brushed the thought away. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about _that_.

She stood silent, nervously fiddling her fingers and looking around the room. I was unsure how to start the conversation; obviously George didn't have a clue either. So for about another three minutes we all just sat-or stood-there, wondering what to do.

Finally, Heather broke the quiet, "I was just wondering if…Well, if Fred…That is…"

I felt like an idiot, what with Heather standing there stuttering out a sentence and me just standing there staring at her, wondering if she hated me or not.

_(George POV)_

I couldn't stand it anymore, them just standing there, trying to talk to each other. Something told me that I needed to vacate the premises and let them deal with whatever was going on between them.

"You know," I remarked, making both Fred and Heather look at me with gratitude, "I think I could use a midnight snack."

Fred's look immediately turned to one of horror and Heather just muttered, "Um…Okay," and to start fiddling with her fingers again.

I left the room as fast as I could, not really sure how to deal with my brother's budding love life. I wasn't even sure if they let it _be_ a love life. Whatever had happened, and by now I was sure it was more than a kiss, it scared the shit out of both of them.

_Good? Bad? Please review and tell me what you think! Also, thank you to _**strangeanimefreak**_ and_ **mejeleon** _for reviewing!_


	5. Repenting and Invitation

Chapter 5: Repenting and Invitation

Standing almost side by side in George's room, Fred and Heather were stuck in one of those awkward pauses that seemed to be following them ever since Fred left Heather's room.

"Well…um…Are you still tired?" Fred blurted, visibly cringing as he realized how stupid that sounded. _If she was tired she still be in bed, ya git!_

Before Heather could even answer, Fred broke in, "I know you aren't tired and I know that that question was absolutely stupid but I didn't know what else to say to get you to start talking to me after I just left you in that room and I-"  
But Heather cut him off by kissing him right in the middle of his tirade, and for the second time that night, Fred felt that overwhelming urge to protect-and kiss-her for the rest of his life.

They were both unaware of anything but the warmth of each other and the passion that flared up between them. Fred didn't worry about were she came from, what she did or_ who_ she was. All he cared about was that she'd stay in his arms. Forever.

Heather felt like crying for the second time that night, but it was for a good reason this time. She had found happiness when she was sure that the London incident had wiped away all chance of her finding any kind of love. Now, wrapped in Fred's arms, she was aware of an overwhelming joy. A joy she would protect forever.

They only broke apart because they had run out of breath, unfortunate as that was.

"Wow," whispered Heather, still a little breathless, "That's all I can say is wow. Were did you learn to kiss like that?"

Fred pretended to consider it, "Well…There was this one really hot girl that I knew. Boy, could she kiss!"

"Oh?" prodded Heather, not sure if he was teasing her or not, "So this great kisser, you remember her name?"

Fred's grin got even wider, "Yeah, it was Heather. Heather Daye. Cute little thing. Almost like a kitten."  
Pushing him playfully away, Heather giggled, "You git! I'm not a kitten!"

Before she could say anything else, Fred pulled her back into his arms, whispering hoarsely, "No, you are far better than a kitten."

Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, Heather let out a nervous giggle, "Oh, really? How's that?"

Fred laughed a deep, masculine laugh that promised so much that it sent shivers down Heather's spine, "I can think of a few reasons."

Giggling-she really couldn't help it-Heather met Fred's enthusiasm with her own delight as they once again met in a kiss.

The room became dark with their intensity as they pressed closer to each other, practically molding their bodies like two puzzle pieces fitting together. Hands moved and caressed, rings flashed and sighs issued as they began their second? third? kiss, not caring as they held onto the need for each other.

When they finally broke away, both were gasping and holding onto each other; afraid to let go. They were that way for a few minute before Fred broke the silence.

"Come to the wedding with me," Stroking Heather's head, Fred repeated his question, "My brother is getting married. Come with me?"

"Really?" Teased Heather, rubbing fingers up and down Fred's chest, making him moan, "You sure I won't crash?"

"Cheater," He growled, giving her a quick kiss, "I'm _sure_ you won't crash. You'll be my date."

From the look on Heather's face, Fred was almost afraid he said the wrong thing. Her eyes were filled with tears and her lip started to tremble; but just as he was going to ask what the matter was, Heather whispered, "Oh, _Fred_," and wrapped him in another breathless kiss.

He figured that was a yes.

**Author's Note:** Hey everybody! I am SOOOOO sorry about the spaces. You have no idea how many times I wished I had my own computer! Big thanks to **lovely ravenclaw** for reviewing! I hope this answers your question! Also BIG BIG thanks to my constant reviewer **strangeanimefreak**. To those who are reading: Please Review!


	6. Lessons

Chapter 6: Lessons

Harry walked down the stairway, wondering why he was the first one up. Usually, he was the last one up and had to be practically doused with water to _be _woken up.

His thoughts were still going in this direction when a spell hit him in the back, causing him to fall down the last couple of steps.

"Now, imagine if that was an Unforgivable Curse, Harry. You'd either be dead or in a lot of pain."

Looking up from his sprawled position on the floor, Harry saw Heather looking down at him with a slightly disappointed look on her face.

Now that he thought about it, Harry was glad that it wasn't a real curse. All it felt like was someone had pushed him and he fell down the last two steps.

"Well, I did realize that I was up a little earlier than usual," retorted Harry, springing to his feet.

"So you_ did_ notice something," replied Heather, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, "But you're wrong about one thing. You weren't up early."

With that Fred and George had sprung out from the door they were hiding behind. Well…More like falling from behind the door, laughing.

"Man! You should have seen your face!" laughed Fred-or George-pulling himself off the floor.

"Yeah," agreed George-or Fred-bouncing up beside his brother, "Made me wish I had a camera!"

Harry once more wished he had a perfect curse to wipe the smirks off of their faces, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. What are we doing today?"

"Well," Heather replied, "First we are going to have some breakfast. Then we are going to Diagon Alley to get me some respectable wedding clothes."

Harry mentally smacked himself. The wedding! How could he have forgotten, what with all the owls he had got from Ron and Hermione, one gushing about the wedding, the other saying how it was driving them insane?

Another picture floated to Harry's mind but he quickly pushed it away before it could take shape. He was doing this to protect her, yet it would be nice to see her again…

Mentally shaking himself, Harry sat down to breakfast, ignoring the talk surrounding him as Fred-or was it George?-peppered Heather about the dress she was getting.

"I'm not telling," Heather was stubbornly repeating, "Now quit bugging me or I'll hex you."

Breakfast was a somewhat quiet affair after that, at least, until Heather jinxed Harry again.

Picking up the dinner dishes, Harry had heard a slight rustle behind him. Taking a stab at what was about to happen, Harry dropped the dishes and grabbed his wand, shouting, "_Protego_!"

The Shield Charm reflected the hex with a slight _ting_. Harry saw a slight smile tug at Heather's lips and relaxed.

Big mistake.

Trying to ignore the suppressed laughter of Fred, George, and even Heather, Harry sighed, "Why did you do _that_ for?"

Looking at a slightly more _feminine _Harry, Heather tried to keep her laughter under control as she replied, "You shouldn't have lowered your guard."

Watching Harry try to cross his arms over his more endowed chest proved too much for Fred and George. Both twins burst into gales of laughter that made them slide from their seats.

Taking pity on Harry, Heather muttered the countercurse and turned to the twins, "You want me to jinx you two as well?"

The laughter stopped, yet both boys held identical grins as they answered, "No, madam!"

"Then get your butts of the floor and help me with the dishes!" Heather laughed as the twins sprang up and started bowing and muttering little "thank yous".

It took only a few minutes to get the dishes done, despite the fact that whenever Harry walked by the twins they burst into fits of laughter. It took a threatening look from Heather to make them settle down.

After everything was cleaned and put away, Harry once more participated in Side-Along Apparation. Heather seemed to know how to tone the effects down so Harry only felt the slight pressure in his ears before they were in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron.

Tapping the brick three up and two over from the center, Heather felt her heart in her throat as she remembered the last time she had been here. Gabrielle had just started at Hogwarts …

Some of the emotion churning inside her must've shown on her face because Harry looked over and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Heather's voice sounded strange, even to her own ears, "Let's go to Possets. I'm fine really."

Harry saw that the last part wasn't directed to him, but to a rather worried looking twin at her elbow.

_I've got to learn how to tell apart_ Harry thought, wondering why Fred/George would be so concerned about an almost complete stranger.

Sighing, Harry followed Heather and the twins into Diagon Alley.

_Hey everybody! Loving the reviews! The next chapter is covering the trip through Diagon Alley and end at the Burrow right before the wedding. **Warning! ** There will be some Heather/Fred fluff and some tear-jerking moments. Please keep reading and reviewing!_


	7. Remembering the Past

Chapter 7: Remembering the Past

Harry was suddenly blinded by the sudden flashes that appeared as soon as the group entered Diagon Alley.

"Look! There she is! The stories were true!"

"And she's with Harry Potter, of course. Who didn't see _that _coming?"

"Mrs. Daye! Oh, Mrs. Daye! Can we have a moment!"

Harry could barely see Heather in all the confusion and mass of bodies. He couldn't even see Fred or George, and they _were_ standing next to him.

"Mr. Potter! Can you give us a comment?"

Not wanting another episode of Rita Skeeter's work, Harry quickly jumped into the first shop he saw.

_Meanwhile, in Possets…_

The witch behind the counter at Possets had just gotten off her break when she heard a strange kind of mewling sound. Walking around to the back of the shop, she sees a teenage witch kneeling on the floor, trying to suppress her sobs.

After watching her for a few minutes, the witch realizes what was making the mewling sound; while crying, the girl was repeating, "Not again, not again…"

Not sure if the girl wanted anyone to see her, the witch watches her, wondering what could possibly caused all that pain…

The shop's bell rings, causing the girl to look up and met the witch's eyes, her own still full of unshed tears.

"Please…" The one word is immediately understood to the witch, who darts to the front of the store.

"Can I help you?" A tall red head has stepped in, seemingly searching for someone.

"Yes, I'm looking for someone, a girl; beautiful, with shoulder length hair that's blondish-brown, cobalt eyes, medium build and probably looking like she was traveling for days. Have you seen her?"

The witch stared at him in shock, for he had described the girl perfectly. Was he why she was crying…?

"Fred?" The name was a whisper, full of hope and pain, and it caught both of their attention.

"Heather," This name was also a whisper, but one of love and comfort, instead of sorrow and remorse…

_Outside Possets…_

Harry was really regretting ever coming to Diagon Alley when he spotted one of the twins and Heather through Possets' window. What really surprised him was the fact that they were in each other's arms, he didn't know they were that close…

The other twin decided to pop up behind him and ask, "What's up, doc?"

After nearly jumping out of his skin, Harry took a few deep breaths. _I really need to work on that Detection thing, I didn't even hear him._

Waving toward the store, Harry muttered, "They're in there. Did you know they liked each other?"

The red head shrugged, "Yeah, I thought it was pretty obvious; though I would've told you if you didn't know."

Harry shrugged, happy that _someone_ could be with the one they loved. Images of a red head's beautiful sister slipped through his head before the same red head interrupted his half grown fantasy.

"We better get inside and get her some clothes before those reporters come back."

Sighing, Harry entered the very pink store, wishing that he could just Apparate back to Grimmauld, surprising himself that he'd even want to enter that dark and dismal place again.

Still wrapped up in each other, Fred and Heather didn't realize that George and Harry had entered the store until George ran over and engulfed them in his own arms, yelling, "Group Hug!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the situation in front of him; Fred was glaring death rays at his brother and Heather was gasping out something that sounded like 'medic…'

"Come on, Harry, get in here!" George exclaimed, unhooking one arm and waving Harry over.

Still laughing, Harry walked over and allowed himself to participate in a three man, one woman, Group Hug.

Heather started muttering something intelligible, her face buried in Harry's back.

"What's that?" George asked, loosing his hold slightly, "Could you please repeat that?"

"Can't…breathe…" Heather gasped, her face growing redder and redder each minute.

"Oh man, sorry!" George immediately released his hold and watched as Heather took deep, exaggerated breaths before glaring at him.

"Git," Giggling, she playfully punched his arm and then busted out laughing as he matched her own exaggeration, holding his arm and making faces.

The clerk had returned then and, looking at the laughing foursome, asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, madam, you can," George replied, exaggerating every vowel, making everyone laugh at the expression on the clerk's face, "We would like a gown for this charming young lady here."

"Of course," The clerk replied, slightly bemused at the youth's behavior and wondering why the others thought him so funny, "This way please."

Following the clerk to the back of the shop, Fred slung an arm around Heather's shoulder and Heather unconsciously leaned up against him. Harry wondered how he missed the fact that they liked each other.

"Here we are," The clerk supplied, stopping by a rack filled with glittering gowns, "These are our best and of the finest quality. I'll be up front when you've made your choice."

Nodding, Heather began to flip through the dresses, frowning slightly. Finally, she turned and said, "How am I going to pay you back, Harry?"

Harry, not really interested in the gowns, had drifted of in another Ginny fantasy and wasn't ready for the question, "What?"

Fingering the fabric of a light blue gown, Heather repeated her question, "How am I going to pay you back?"

Harry grinned, one of the few any had seen since Dumbledore died, "You're teaching me Detection, that's payment enough."

"We'll see, pretty soon you'll wish you hadn't said that," With that, Heather grabbed the blue gown and jumped in a dressing room.

Looking around, Harry realized that Fred and George had disappeared and he was alone in the store.

Alone…That was how it should be, anyone close to him would be the first person Voldemort would go after, yet he wished to Merlin that he could just hold Ginny one more time, just once, without her becoming a target…

Heather stepped out of the dressing room, driving Harry's mind away from his depressing thoughts.

_Wow! Just wait 'til Fred gets a look at her!_ Harry was a little surprise at how lovely Heather looked. Then again, this was the first time he'd seen her in a gown…

Blushing slightly at Harry's raised eyebrows, Heather revolved slowly, "What do you think?"

"You're absolutely spiffing," Harry grinned, "I just hope Fred can control himself.

Blushing an even deeper shade of red, Heather retreated into the dressing room, replying, "I want to surprise Fred with it, so don't say anything, ok?"

"Wizard's Honor," Harry replied, placing his hand over his heart, getting him a giggle before Heather disappeared.

"Hey, Harry. She'd get her dress yet?" Fred entered the store holding an ebony box and looking like a boy on his first date.

"Yeah…" Harry replied slowly, puzzled, "What's that? Is it a new invention or something?"

"Huh? No, not really," Fred looked absolutely flustered, a first for either one of the twins, "I wanted…Swear you won't laugh?"

For the second time that day, Harry placed his hand over his heart and replied, "Wizard's Honor."

Looking satisfied, Fred opened the ebony box, explaining, "I wanted to get her something…To go with the gown…"

Inside was a beautiful gold pendant with a sapphire stone, glowing dimly in the light of Posset's lamps.

_Wow!_ Harry thought _He must really care about her. I wish I could get something like that for Ginny…_

"What are you two gawking at?" Once more, someone had snuck up on Harry without him noticing; Heather had exited the dressing room, dress in a cover, to see Harry and Fred hovering over something. Naturally, she was a little curious.

"Nothing," Harry replied, quickly snapping the box shut as Fred's ears grew a light pink, a familiar trait among the Weasley family when they were flustered or upset.

Heather didn't look convinced, but just shrugged and started walking toward the front of the shop.

"Put it away!" Harry hissed, as Fred was about to follow Heather's retreating form, "She'll see it!"

As both his ears and his face turned a darker shade of garnet, Fred shrunk the box and put it in his back pocket.

"Where's George?" Heather asked, handing the dress to the clerk and leaning her back against the counter, "I don't see him outside."

"He's probably at the shop," Harry replied and, catching the look the clerk gave the price, quickly added, "Why don't you go and I'll catch up with you there? That way the reporters won't catch all of us at once."

Catching Harry's raised eyebrows, Fred gave Heather's arm a little tug and said, "Yeah, those reporters can be pretty nasty; besides, I've got this new invention I want to show you…."

Letting herself be pulled out of the shop, Heather had a slightly knowing grin spread across her features; she probably knew _exactly_ why they wanted her out of the store.

Turning to the clerk, Harry saw the same knowing look spread across her face as well. Giving her a slightly sheepish look, Harry asked, "Can you charge that to my Gingotts bank?"

Nodding, the clerk rang up the price and handed the dress to Harry, the smile still gracing her face.

Taking the dress, Harry sped off to the twins' Whizarding Wheezes and gave Heather her dress before joining hands and Apparating to the outskirts of the Burrow.

_Sorry for the space in this installment, so much as happened since I started this! Please don't give up on me! Next up, the wedding!_


	8. Wedding Preparations

**Chapter 8: Wedding Preparations**

As soon as they set foot on the outskirts of the Burrow, Harry's jaw dropped in shock and he went into a dead stop so fast the other three ran into him.

"Your mum must've really outdone herself."

The twins couldn't help but agree, their own mouths dropping in amazement. Even Heather had a hard time believing what her eyes were showing her.

Gone were the rusty cauldrons and Wellington boots, as well as the herd of chickens rampaging across the yard. In their place were bouquet of flowers from the normal to the magical, everything from roses to a dark purple flower that seemed to glow even in the sunlight. There was a ribboned walkway where live fairies were flying in repetitive patterns and flashing different colors, along with floating colored lanterns. As well as, frozen in place at random intervals, were...

"Are those gnomes in tutus?" Heather giggled nervously, bending down to examine one more closely.

"That couldn't have been Mrs. Weasley's idea." Harry replied, coming up behind her to check as well.

"It was mine,"

The effect of that single sentence was amazing; Heather yelped, spun on the spot and fell on the gnome she was just examining and getting tangled in the folds of her dress, Harry, too, spun on the spot, yet he was able to keep his feet as he pulled his wand out, Fred jumped in front of Heather while drawing his own wand and George just laughed at the whole silly spectacle as the speaker moved into Harry's line of sight.

"It's not me you want to curse, Harry." Nymphadora Tonks smirked, bubblegum pink hair sparkling as she watched Heather extract herself from the toppled gnome with Fred's help, before turning to George, who was still laughing. "It's your sister who Harry would want to Body-Bind."

The laughter immediately died. "What happened?"

"Why would he want to curse your sister?" Heather whispered behind him.

"Have you read the_ Daily Prophet _today?" Tonks asked as Fred began to explain the history between Harry and his sister.

"No," Harry replied, stashing his wand away and crossing his arms. "I've stopped reading that rubbish a long time ago. Right about the time that I stopped believing that we would get a good Minister of Magic."

"It would be a good idea to see what your enemies say about you." Tonks cryptic comment made Harry's hair stand on end as he took the newspaper Tonks pulled from her pocket.

His unease was fully formed when he saw the picture above the headline: Heather and him, looking startled and surprised. He had his hand on her shoulder and it looked to all the world as if he was pulling her close to him. He read the headline with a groan:

**Has The Boy-Who-Lived Found True Love At Last?**

He finished reading the front article before handing it to Heather with another groan, causing her to get her own look of unease as she moved her dress to the crock of her arm and began to read:

**Has The Boy-Who-Lived Found True Love At Last?**

_Earlier this morning Harry Potter, also known as The-Boy-Who-Lived, was found in the company of Heather Daye, the only known surviver of the attack on Diagon Alley last week._

_The two seemed very close upon entry to Diagon Alley and Harry Potter was even seen surveying a dress she was wearing. Could it be that The-Boy-Who-Lived has found love at last? We interviewed friends of the famous hero to find out._

_"Harry has never had problems finding girls who love him," says Romilda Vane, proud to be one of those girls, "The only problem is for him to love her back. I believe that it would take someone who has gone through the same tragedy he has gone through, and since she has lived through the horror of the Diagon Alley attack, Miss Daye might be the girl he's looking for. If not, there are always us girls that have known him all his life."_

_Other lifelong chum, Colin Creevey, has his own claims about Harry Potter's newest love interest._

_"I always believed that Harry was in love with Hermione Granger." Colin supplies, comparing notes with the Daily Prophet's photographer. "I mean, they were always together, you rarely saw one without the other. They even survived what that nasty Rita Skeeter wrote about them in our fourth year. I believe this is just someone he was helping or needed information on You-Know-Who from."_

_Hermione Granger was unable to comment at this time. Was she avoiding what would have been a nasty public break-up? Only Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and this new face, Heather Daye know! I just hope, dear readers, that Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, finds happiness after all his heartache._

_**Sara Fletcher, Daily Prophet Reporter**_

"I'm going to kill that woman!" Heather hissed, surprising everyone with her ferocity as she shredded the paper, then set it aflame with her wand, almost catching the dress on fire in the process.

"Whoa, I didn't even expect that reaction from _Harry_ and he's supposed to be the moody one!" Tonks laugh was the nervous one this time as Heather turned her glare on her.

"I know her! She was a friend of my Mum's and they worked together until Mum found out she had been giving out secrets and she got fired," Heather had started to finger her wand, causing red sparks to fly as she continued, "Now, all she's concerned with is making my life a living hell! I'll kill her for this!!"

No one was sure on what to do until Fred realized that part of the reason Heather's voice was so choked was because she was fighting back tears.

Taking the dress and hanging it on one of the immobile gnomes, Fred pulled Heather into his embrace and motioned for the rest of the group to go on without them, which they were only too happy to agree to.

At The Burrow

Harry stood on the doorstep of the Burrow and swallowed nervously, unknowingly fiddling with his wand and shuffling his feet as he tried to think of how to explain things to his livid girlfriend..

**Ex**_-girlfriend._

Harry shook his head as the usual feelings of guilt and regret hit his stomach when he thought of Ginny Weasley. He had been the one to break things off and here he was, wishing he could go back in time and give his past self a swift kick in the arse... yet knowing he couldn't if he wanted to keep her safe and away from Voldemort.

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to ring the bell?" Tonks smirk told Harry that she knew exactly what Harry was thinking of and it amused her to no end. Harry wished he had a reply or even a reason why he hesitated, other than the obvious reason.

"He's going up against _Ginny_, Tonks," George quipped, his own smirk firmly in place. "You've never seen her mad, have you?"

"No, I haven't, but you have, I'm guessing?" Tonks laughed at the look of horror on George's face when he thought of his maddened little sister.

George shivered, and gave Tonks a knowing look, "More than once. Sometimes, when she gets really irritable or if we take a joke one step too far, she gets so bad she makes _Mum_ look tame! I thought that only _Dumbledore_ could pull that off."

Tonks was surprised that Ginny's older brothers all seemed so afraid of her. She would have to learn this secret and use it on Remus every now and then. The man was getting a little big for his britches these days...

"She's one of the main reasons why Bill became a curse breaker; he was the only one who would intentionally provoke her. They fought so bad it would drive Mum up the wall and Dad would volunteer to de-gnome the garden even after we had just done it."

"That doesn't sound smart..."

"Well, Bill was always walking on the edge. We got some of our biggest tricks from something he did that we altered a bit."

"A bit?"

George's famous devil-may-care smirk was back in place. "Okay, more than a bit."

Back on the top step, Harry had finally decided that he would face Ginny, tell her the truth and let her decide for herself whether or not to believe him.

Harry raised his hand, his knuckles inches from the door when a cry behind him made him jump, twist and pull out his wand again.

"Hey, Harry!" It was Hermione and Ron, waving and heading his way. Harry smiled at his two best friends, noticing that George and Tonks were laughing at his midair twist again.

"Thanks for not scaring me." Ron's grin turned sheepish as Hermione, giving Harry a once over, immediately went down to business. Good ol' Hermione.

"Have you seen the _Daily Prophet_ today?" Harry groaned and nodded, causing Ron to squint at him suspiciously, surprised that there was something his best mate would keep from them or worried that the _Prophet_ was right.

"Where is she? _Who_ is she?" Hermione continued after greeting Tonks and George, who had got into a discussion on the Weasley's twins greatest tricks and traps.

"She's with Fred and they were right behind us." Harry replied, sitting down on the top step. "As for _who_ she is, I have no idea... but she had one."

Both Hermione and Ron stared in shock, knowing immediately what he was talking about. Hermione's hand had flown to her mouth and Ron just stared, with his jaw on the floor.

"Don't look so surprised, little brother, you'll catch flies that way." George smirked as Ron turned red and snapped his mouth shut. "What does she have?"

"Nothing important," Hermione smiled, while Ron and Harry tried to look innocent; and, by the suspicious glares Tonks and George were giving them, it wasn't working.

"How was everyone's summer?" Hermione interjected, trying to break the tense silence.

It worked; after everyone blinked for a few seconds, they all began trying to tell how their summers went, leaving Harry to collect his thoughts.

So much had happened since this summer Harry had a hard time absorbing it all. He could barely believe that Heather had simply walked into his life, set a Horocux in his lap and set herself up in his home without him asking who she was or were she came from. It wasn't like him at all...

What was it that made him believe her story without so much as batting an eye? The _Daily Prophet_ had said she had survived an attack by Voldemort, but how? Had she been planted so they could get an insider informant? Harry's fists clenched as he thought of the last insider, Snape, and how close he had gotten to them...

So involved was he in his dark thoughts, he didn't noticed that the rest of the group had stopped talking, or that the door behind him had opened. He didn't notice until a petite form dropped down beside him and a small, warm hand slipped over his own.

Turning, Harry looked into the chocolate brown eyes of Ginny Weasley.

"Hello, Harry."

In The Garden

Fred held onto Heather as the old memories brought on a new bout of tears and wished there was some way to make her stop crying; he hated the fact that she was so upset over what some sleaze-bag wrote in that pathetic excuse for a newspaper.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping away a few stray tears and looking up at Fred with a embarrassed expression, "It seems that all I do these days is cry, you must think I'm such a ponce."

"No," smiled Fred, glad the tears had stopped and eager to put whatever memory that caused them behind her. "I think you are a very emotional girl, more so than normal..."

Heather smiled, realizing Fred's attempt at humor was because he was worried about her. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"Nah, I'll just have to buy some waterproof shirts."

Heather laughed, a beautiful, happy sound after all the tears and Fred, so ecstatic that she was laughing, kissed her as soon as she stopped, causing her to make a muffled noise of surprise before responding in kind.

"I'm glad that the _Daily Prophet_ was lying as usual," A light voice chuckled, as Heather and Fred sprung apart and tripped over each other as each moved forward to shield the other.

The speaker burst into full out laughter as Fred and Heather finally agreed to stand side-by-side, making sure that the other didn't move forward.

"I feel like I'm watching your father and me when we were younger!" Mrs. Weasley laughed as Fred moved a protective step forward and collided with Heather as she had the same idea.

"Before you jar each other's memory loose," Mrs. Weasley giggled as the two children in front of her decided that the only way to keep an eye on each other was to keep a hand on each other. "Could you tell me the truth about who this young lady is?"

Fred swallowed a few times, recognizing the tone that his mother's voice had taken; she was on the verge of yelling at him for keeping something as 'big' as a girl he was interested in a secret.

"Madam?" Heather was either very brave or extremely stupid as she moved forward and extended her hand. "I'm Heather Daye; Fred, George and Harry have been kind enough to set me up with a room at Grimmauld Place until I can find a place to live."

Fred could tell his mother's maternal instincts were kicking in as she took one look at Heather's worn and disheveled robes, causing her to nervously run fingers through her hair.

"Fredrick Weasley!" Fred immediately ducked his head out of habit, causing Heather to smoother a giggle as his mother glared at him from were he stood behind Heather. "How could you let this poor girl walk around in this state when you and your brother-"

"Mrs. Weasley?" Heather interrupted, picking up the dress from were it was lying and displaying it in front of Mrs. Weasley. "He did get me something for the wedding."

"Well, I'm glad you listened to _something_ I taught you," Mrs. Weasley's sniffed, directing Heather toward the house, a bemused son trailing behind her.

Burrow's Front Steps

Harry stared at the slight redhead beside him, startled and pleased that she wasn't chewing his head off about what _The Daily Prophet_ had written, or that she was even talking to him at all, let alone touching him.

Tonks and George were also looking at Ginny in mild shock, not really sure what to expect or even what to say. They were acting as if she was a bomb about to go off at any moment.

"We'll put some meat on those limbs, you're nothing but skin and bones!" Mrs. Weasley's voice could be heard moments before she appeared around the house, a very confused Heather in front of her, "Do you like chicken and potatoes? Of course you do, who doesn't? I'll get you a heaping plate full of chicken legs and more potatoes than you..."

Her voice trailed off as Ginny slowly got to her feet and went to stand in front of Heather, frowning as she took in her disheveled appearance and the frown deepened as Fred sidestepped their mother to stand behind Heather, a hand on her shoulder.

"You must be Heather."

"I am... you must be Ginny."

"I am."

Everyone watching this exchange had various degrees of amusement on their faces, with the exception of the two girls, Harry, Fred, and Mrs. Weasley. Those five's faces were the epitome of seriousness.

"Why are you here?"

"I was invited," Heather responded, unconsciously moving into Fred's embrace, "Why are you here?"

"I live here." Ginny quipped, taking in the fact that Fred's arm was now wrapped around Heather's shoulder and his free hand was resting on his wand, ready to defend her. "I'm glad that the _Daily Prophet_ was wrong, as usual."

"Are they ever right?" Heather questioned, flexing her shoulder under Fred's pinching grip, so that her blood could circulate again.

Her lips quirking in a grin, Ginny replied, "Not for a while, I just wish the berks would leave Harry's personal life out of it. All they're doing is painting bull's-eyes on people for Voldemort."

As usual, whenever his name was mentioned, there came the sudden flinches, twitches and shoulder jerks that followed, although Harry noticed that two people didn't move, other than him.

Heather and Ginny.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley smiled, clearly glad that no blood had been split, "Now that all that has been settled, why don't we get ready for the wedding?"

"Come on," Ginny smiled, taking Heather by the hand and pulling her through the doorway, "We have a lot to talk about..."

Watching as his sister pulled Heather away, George shook his head and turned to his twin and asked, "Aren't you going to save her? Or at least _help_ her?"

Fred had his own sly grin as he responded, "I may be crazy, brother, but I'm not suicidal."

In Ginny's room

Ginny's eyes were wide and tears were streaming down her face as she listened to Heather finish her story.

"I've been with Fred, George and Harry for only a day," Heather swallowed, fighting back her own tears, "That piece of garbage newspaper was lying about any kind of romantic relationship between me and Harry."

"Yeah," Ginny smiled, wiping away a few stray tears, "Fred might have a problem with that..."

Heather blinked a few times before turning a blushing and emitting a very feminine giggle. "Does it show?"

Laughing, Ginny picked up a pair of towels and motioned toward the bathroom on the landing outside her room

"Only if you're looking"

Heather laughed as well, following the younger redhead to what she hoped was a long relaxing shower. "You were looking? Do you think I should say something?"

"No, that usually makes them leave."

Heather's laugher died at the sudden serious tone that dominated Ginny's voice. Chancing a glance at her face, she saw that Ginny was staring out a window, were the backyard was clearly visible.

Looking to see what made the sudden change in Ginny's mood, Heather spotted Fred and George showing Harry where to set out the chairs.

"He probably wanted to make sure you had someone to go to, instead of a cold stone."

Ginny swerved to see that Heather was also looking toward the backyard, only her gaze was focused on a different boy.

"Losing someone you love is one of the worst pains mankind could face. Maybe he wanted you to have a chance of finding someone else if things went wrong..."

"It doesn't take away the fact that it hurt like hell when he broke up with me." Ginny retorted flatly, returning her gaze to the trio of boys laughing below them.

"No, the pain never goes away," Heather's response was low and, from the way her voice trembled, Ginny had a feeling she wasn't talking about break-ups.

_A/N: Hello all, I am sorry about the wait. Being poor sucks when your computer decides to die and not give you a reason why!_

_Anyway, Ginny now knows about Heather's past and Heather now knows about Ginny's relationship with Harry. Will __The Daily Prophet__ reporter make an entrance? Will Heather and Fred steal a kiss at the wedding? What about Ginny and Harry? Stay tuned and find out!!_


	9. Wedding Vows

**Chapter Nine: Wedding Vows**

It was hard to tell who was more nervous about the wedding that was soon to be underway; the bride and groom or the two groups of teenagers sequestered in opposite rooms in the same hall. Ginny, Heather, Gabrielle, Hermione, and Fleur where squeezed in one room, dealing with last minute modifications to their dresses; Harry, Fred, George, Ron, and Bill were squashed in the other, all but one nervous about meeting up with the girls in the other room…. Then again, George Weasley didn't have an old girlfriend, love interest, hidden crush or soon-to-be wife waiting for **him**.

"I promise to hold you up in drowning waters until they are still…. My wand will forever light your way, for all our days..." Bill was muttering his wedding vows under his breath, now and then pulling a stack of note cards out of his pocket and scanning them worriedly. "Damn it all, I know I suggested we write our own vows, but how am I suppose to remember all of this and all the wand movements at the **same time**?!?"

"By Merlin's staff, **relax**, Bill," George sighed tiredly, watching his brother's anxious movements as he barely missed Fred pacing across the cramped room in the opposite direction, both brothers nervous for completely different reasons and both starting to fray George's patience with all of their hem-and-ha-ing, "You're getting married, not going into battle. Fred, slow down; Bill's close enough to passing out without watching you spin around the room."

Fred flipped his brother the finger as Bill groaned, running a hand over the side of his face that didn't have the scars, "I just don't want to mess up, George. What if Mr. and Mrs. Delacour think I'm not good enough for Fleur and try to stop the wedding?"

Fred stopped in his pacing long enough to give his brother an incredulous look, before shaking his head at him. "That shouldn't matter, should it? I mean, you're not marrying Mum and Pop Delacour, you're marrying Fleur. She should be the only opinion that matters."

With that, Fred's pacing started up again, making his eldest and youngest brother follow his movements in wide-eyed shock as George grinned knowingly, certain that Fred had been having more than 'talks' with a certain brown-haired individual. Even Harry was driven out of another Ginny-induced day-dream stupor to stare at the insightful twin in stunned surprise, his jaw hanging around the region of his knees.

"Thanks, Fred," Bill muttered after a few moments of silence, not noticing in his shock that he finally got a twin's name right. "Where did that come from, though? I would have expected something like that from Mum, or even Ginny, but not from you."

"Seems like Heather's been a good influence," George quipped, making his twin's nervous action stop as suddenly as if he had run right into a brick wall as the elder twin turned to Harry with a grin. "We should definitely keep her around, don't you think?"

"Who's Heather and why have I never heard of her before?" Bill asked, glad to talk about something that took his mind off of his nervousness as his attention bobbed between the Cheshire cat-styled grin of one twin to the murderous, hate-filled glare of the other.

"She's a girl whose helping Harry with something," Ron cut in, shaking out of his stunned state and piping up for the first time since entering the room with the others as he shared a look with Harry to see if it was alright to talk about, a look both twins caught, before continuing. "She's suppose to be teaching him some kind of Ancient magic or something… I think it's a new Defense training no one's ever heard of."

"Apparently, that's not the only thing she's teaching," Harry decided to add his own two cents worth just to see the normally immovable Weasley twin blush as all the eyes in the room suddenly became focused upon him... and to avoid having anyone ask him what the new training was.

"What is this, Pick-On-Fred Day?" The redhead grumbled irritably, nailing each of his brothers with a glare. Yes, Harry was included in that statement; for, as far as Fred was concerned, Harry had been a part of the family ever since Ron picked him up in their First Year at Hogwarts. "If you're in such desperate need for something to distract you, Bill, why don't you go over your wedding vows for us?"

"W-well," The eldest Weasley sibling stammered uncertainly, his earlier bolster evaporating at those words, as one hand hastily stuffing his vows in one of his tuxedo's pockets, ears turned the trademark Weasley-embarrassed red. "They're really nothing to brag about… You'll get to hear them at the wedding, I'm sure that I'll have them down in," a quick glance at his watch, before a nervous swallow, "twenty minutes."

"All the more reason for us to listen to them, brother dear," Fred pounced on his opening like a mouse upon a cat, "Can't have the firstborn of Arthur and Molly Weasley making a fool of himself and his clan at his own wedding, now can we? Bad for business, you know."

"Yeah," George added, enjoying the lighthearted round of teasing, going from one brother to the next, as he clapped a hand on his stricken eldest brother's shoulder, "especially since your bride-to-be is from a neighboring country. You also have to show her we Brits know how to throw a proper wedding."

Bill turned to his youngest brother and honorary-brother for some much needed support, but they both just shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads. Ron was more interested in what they were going to serve at the buffet and how Hermine would look in her dress then what the bride and groom were going to say, it wasn't **his** wedding after all. Harry, personally, had no idea what was supposed to happen at a wedding; he had never been to one, magical or Muggle.

Sighing in exaggerated defeat, Bill straighten his tie, closed his eyes and imagined himself at the alter, his lovely, magnificent wife who didn't care that he was horribly transfigured and hotly claimed that she was beautiful enough for the both of them at his side. The radiant woman who always looked at him with love, even though the most looks he got were of revulsion, on his arm. Suddenly, the words that had been so hard to convey in spite of the importance of the day came easily as he practiced his speech for his brothers' benefit.

"Most people in this world believe that wizards and Muggles have almost nothing in common, saved a shared hate. I have found in the previous days, however, they **do **have something in common when they wed one another. In marriage, they promise to simply love, honor, and obey each other for the rest of their lives. I'm more of a realist, so my vows are more from me than a simple worn out phrase. To me, it's more binding and personal that way."

A smile graced the man's lips at the chuckle that got from George and the snort from Fred that followed it. Of all the Weasley children, he had taken the longest to show any type of magical powers, Mrs. Weasley had stated it was because he was 'a late bloomer' but most believed it was because everything had to be done a certain way for Bill to believe in it, even at eleven. Where most children had shown their magical talent in random bursts of power, he had simply pointed his finger at a bulb and ordered it to light, something none of the Weasley children had yet to try since then, and something that was still uniquely Bill.

"So, instead of the 'love, honor and obey' malarkey that most people expect and sprout out without any thought, I promise to try to keep the fights we may have to a bare minimum and always find a way to make up afterwards; I promise to cherish every single second that you grace me with your beautiful presence, and continue to grace you with mine…."

This got a laugh from Ron and Harry before they were hushed by Fred, who could see that his eldest brother was about to go on a roll by the way Bill's eyes took on a faraway gaze.

"I promise also," Bill went on, seemingly unaware that there had even been an interruption, "to hold you up in drowning waters, until the waves beneath are still once more. My wand will forever light your way in darkness, all the days you stand beside me and I beside you. I cannot promise you peace forever, for the world will set out to make me a liar, but I can say that I will fight to make those calm days last, that our children will live their young lives without the fear of war. In short terms: I, William Henry Weasley, promise to give my whole heart, soul, and magic to you, Fleur Isabelle Delacour, only in the hope that you will gift me with your own.

There was a poignant silence following Bill's vows before it was broken by a set of sighs coming from the doorway.

"**That** was the most romantic thing I had ever heard," Heather was heard sighing once more as she opened the door to the mens' room, reveling Hermione blushing madly just a few steps behind her. After gracing everyone in the room with a smile, Heather turned to Hermione as her lips took on a mischievous tilt, practically purring, "Do you think one of us could convince him to give up Fleur and marry us instead?"

Hermione's blush deepened considerably as Bill waggled his eyebrows at her, making Heather giggle in delight; but, thankfully in Hermione's mind, she was saved from answering as a pair of growls followed Heather's statement, which were in turn followed by Fred and Ron pushing by Bill to lay possessive arms around Heather and Hermione's waists, respectively. Hermione's blush turned into a look of shock at Ron's actions, this was the most he had ever done that pushed the limits of their relationship beyond 'just friends'.

"Something tells me that **certain people **might have a problem with that," George grinned, watching as his brothers dragged the girls out of the room almost before they could warn Bill that the ceremony would be starting in five minutes. "Looks like we might be planning another wedding soon..."

Harry wasn't listening; for as soon as Bill finished his speech and the girls were dragged out of the room, he had made his way to find a certain redhead of his own...

-----0-----0-----0-----

Fred continued to pull Heather down the hall, inwardly fuming at the cheek of his eldest brother; the man was going to be married in a few minutes, for Merlin's sake, and he has the gall to flirt with his date! Oh, he was going to get so pranked when he came home from his honeymoon! Fred might be mad at his brother, but he wasn't gong to deny Fleur her wedding night because Bill suddenly sprouted a few boils in a most uncomfortable place...

"I was only joking, Fred; your brother looked like he was about to be lead off to the gallows, so I tried to make him laugh and loosen up a bit," Heather looked at Fred in exasperation after a few seconds of sullen silence before sighing heavily, "So you can stop crushing all the bones in my waist with your death grip and stepping on my shoes 'cause we're walking so close, since I'm pretty sure everybody with half a brain knows I'm here with you."

Fred stopped and stared at Heather in shock for a few seconds once he realized her statement was true; they were so close together, she had one arm wrapped around **his **waist just to keep from falling over, she was constantly adjusting how she walked to avoid getting stomped on and he could feel the entire length of her side pressed against his own, as well as the heat that sprung up between them as soon as he noticed this.

Releasing Heather hastily, Fred was finally able to get a good look at the dress she was wearing, now that anger at his brother wasn't coloring his vision red. What he saw made his jaw drop to the floor as he muttered an awed, "Whoa..." that made a light blush flare across Heather cheeks.

It was a sea blue gown that darken and lightened in color as Heather moved, flowing all the way down to her toes-clad in sky blue heels, courtesy of the youngest Weasley-with a slit down the side for ease in walking and thin straps around her shoulders, leaving her arms bare and showing off a small tattoo on one shoulder. A quick double take showed Fred that it was **not **a skull and snake; but rather a pair of roses, one red and one yellow. His attention was quickly drawn back to her dress again, due to the fact that, aside from changing shade as she moved, it also clung to her every curve; giving off the illusion that it was see-through and that was **not** helping Fred's focus any... or rather, he was focusing a bit too **much**.

"So... do you like the dress?" Heather asked hesitantly, tugging at the side and making it ripple like a wave across her form. Her question snapped Fred out of his Neanderthal-like state and helped him focus on the girl in front of him, no matter how provocatively she was dressed at the moment.

"I do, very much in fact," Fred smiled, chasing away the doubt lurking in Heather's eyes as she gave the neckline an exaggerated tug of relief. Suddenly reminded of the gift still residing in his back pocket, Fred's grin grew. "I have a present for you."

Heather shook her head, her smile slipping a few inches. "You took me in when you didn't even know who I was, gave me a roof to stay under with free room and board, and now you want to give me **more**?? If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were some sort of angel..."

Fred laughed as he took out the jewelry box and enlarged it to its proper size. "First off, Harry was the one that took you in and gave you a place to stay; secondly, you're technically paying for your stay with teaching Harry Detection, and this is the first time **I **really gave you anything."

"Is that your way of saying 'be quiet and be grateful for the gift'?" Heather teased, eying the enlarged box Fred now held in his hand, curious as to what the handsome redhead could've bought her.

"Something like that," Fred replied, his grin growing wider as he opened the jewelry box and Heather gasped at the contents.

-----0-----0-----0-----

"I did it because I didn't want to lose you."

Ginny's hands stilled where she had been busy fixing the hem of Fleur's gown to flow around her, heart giving a sudden leap at the sound of those words, at the familiarity of the tone behind them.

"What iz zee meaning of zis, 'Arry?" Fleur's question brought Ginny out of her stupor to turn around and stare at the boy that had invaded her dreams ever since he told her that they couldn't be together.

What she saw made her heart leap painfully against her chest like a caged bird trying to get free.

Ignoring the fact that there were two beautiful half-Veelas behind him dressed in beautiful gowns and oozing sexy Veela charm, Harry's gaze was trained solely on her, something that thrilled Ginny to no end. As soon as her eyes met his, Harry began to walk into the room, toward her, never once breaking their contact.

"There are so many similarities between us, Ginny," Harry whispered, the low sound nonetheless carrying to every ear in the room, "so many ways we are alike and it scares me; it scares me that every time I fight him, I feel like I'm becoming more like him, becoming Darker with each spell I cast..."

"But you're not him, Harry," Ginny was whispering too; it took all her strength just to stand upright underneath that intense stare, she could barely use a louder voice, "you're so much more than he could ever be."

"When Sirius was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, I used the Cruiatis Curse on her," Harry's confession drew a pair of gasps from behind her, reminding Ginny that there was a captive audience to their little heart-to-heart before he started to speak again, "and I almost used the Killing Curse on her as well. Just because she killed Sirius, a godfather I barely knew."

_But you didn't, Harry! You didn't follow that path! _Ginny wanted to scream her thoughts aloud, but they became lodged in her throat as Harry finally stood before her, resting his forehead against hers as his eyes slid blissfully closed.

"If I lost you..." Even the thought seemed to be too much for her ebony haired hero; he had to swallow a few times before he could continue, "If I lost you, it would be me or the world. One of us would cease to be, because **my** world would end as soon as you left it."

Ginny's heart had swelled so much, it was becoming difficult to breathe as Harry opened those emerald orbs and swallowed her in their bottomless depths. If she was having a hard time breathing before, her heart stopped completely at the overwhelming adoration and passion swimming in Harry Potter's eyes.

"I love you, Ginevra Molly Weasley," Harry's thumbs traced a pattern across Ginny's cheeks as his hands came up to cup her face, "and in another time, another place, I would go down on bended knees and ask you to marry me."

She knew what he was asking what he was telling her; if he survived, if they **both** survived this war... Tears threatened to overflow her eyes as Ginny brought her own hands up to cover Harry's, bringing their faces together as she whispered her answer.

"And in that other time, other place, I would say yes."


End file.
